Background:

Both Geller and Larsen had qualified to play in the Candidates series from the Amsterdam Interzonal (1964) which had been held in May and June 1964. They had both been defeated in their respective semi—final matches, Geller losing to Boris Spassky and Larsen to Mikhail Tal.

Tal - Larsen Candidates Semifinal (1965) Spassky - Geller Candidates Semifinal (1965)

FIDE decreed that the third place in the 1963 to 1966 Candidate Cycle had to be categorically resolved as it did not want both players to qualify for the next Candidates' Tournament (1). A match was therefore necessary to decide third place, the winner of this match would be seeded into the next Interzonal.

According to the commentary in February 1966's "Copenhagen Chess Union News sheet", if Larsen won the match, he would not need one of the Danish Chess Union's zonal places, and they would be able to send two other players, as Larsen would already be qualified by right of this match (2).

Consequently, this third-place play-off was arranged in Copenhagen, Denmark in March 1966.

Participants:

The Danish GM Bent Larsen (31) and the Soviet GM Efim Geller (41). Geller was ranked 8th in the world as opposed to Larsen's 16th on the Chessmetrics January 1966 rating list (3).

They had played only once before and Larsen had won; he considered the game one of his best according to an interview in "Chess Life" (December 1968, pages 436)- Larsen vs Geller, 1960.

The late 1960's was the period of Larsen's ascendancy in which he challenged Fischer as the number one Western player. Larsen turned in a series of career bests from the time of this match: third Second Piatigorsky Cup (1966), first Winnipeg (1967) , first Sousse Interzonal (1967), first Palma de Mallorca (1967) , first Havana (Capablanca Memorial), 1967, second Palma de Mallorca (1968) , first Monte Carlo (1968) , first Palma de Mallorca (1969) , 5.5 – 2.5 victor in Game Collection: Larsen - Tal 3rd place Candidates Playoff 1969 , second Palma de Mallorca Interzonal (1970).

Geller had participated in all the Candidates series since 1953, and was an elite Soviet player. He was playing very successfully around the time of this match. Geller was equal first with Lajos Portisch at Beverwijk 1965, second in Havana (1965) , first at Kislovodsk 1966, second in USSR Championship (1966/67) , (Tbilisi) , and first at Gothenburg 1967.

Personnel:

The German master Alfred Brinckmann was the arbiter. Geller had the experienced grandmaster Flohr as his second, but Larsen chose not to have a second. (2)

‘If there is time enough for both adjournment analysis and sleep, I find seconds only useful as life guards (keeping disturbances away), shoe shiners and errand boys. I would not like to rely on analysis by somebody else.' (4)

Organization:

The match was sponsored by the Copenhagen Chess Association as part of their 100 year jubilee celebration. The match took place in Central Copenhagen in an office building of the Gutenberghus publishers at their offices in Montergade 5, 5 sal., Copenhagen.

The match was advertised as being between 10th – 25th March 1966. It was to be the best of eight games (2)(5). If the match was then tied at 4-4, it would then go into a further four games "sudden death" period. The first player to win a game would win the match. If these games were all drawn, the drawing of lots would decide the third place in the Candidates series (2).

Schedule:

Game 1 - Thursday 10th March, 1966
Game 2 - Friday 11th March, 1966

Adjournments - Saturday 12th March, 1966

Game 3 - Sunday 13th March, 1966
Game 4 - Monday 14th March, 1966

Adjournments - Tuesday 15th March, 1966

Free day - Wednesday 16th March, 1966

Game 5 - Thursday 17th March, 1966
Game 6 - Friday 18th March, 1966

Adjournments - Saturday 19th March, 1966

Game 7 - Sunday 20th March, 1966

Adjournments - Monday 21st March, 1966

Game 8 - Tuesday 22nd March, 1966

Adjournments -Wednesday 23rd March, 1966 (2)

It seems that in a deviation from the published schedule, the 8th game took place a day early on the 21st March. This is shown on the envelope used for the adjournment of that game on 21/03/1966.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...

After the match, a consultation game took place on Danish radio between Bent Larsen and Jens Enevoldsen Efim Geller and Salomon Flohr. (6)

Progress of the match:

                 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9  Pts
1 GM Larsen      1 0 ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 0 1  5
2 GM Geller      0 1 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 1 0  4

Game One – Larsen innovated, avoiding all the open Sicilian main lines by avoiding an early <d4>. He had used this set up once before in the Larsen vs G Tringov, 1964 . Brinkmann, the match referee, reported that Geller thought about his 14th move for almost an hour. (7) Geller was under persistent pressure, and on move 22, he lost a piece through a tactical oversight.

click for larger view

In playing <22.R(e)d8>, Geller overlooked <23.f3> winning.

He continued to play on with a Pawn for a Bishop in what was a technical exercise for Larsen until mate was inevitable.

Game Two – In contrast, the second game was main line theory, a Sicilian Richter-Rauzer. Once again, it was not an established part of Larsen's tournament repertoire. Geller was familiar with the system as Black and his experience told as he created pressure against the Black centre. This time, in a sharp position, it was Larsen who blundered by overlooking a tactic.

Game Three – The third game was more steadily played; a Closed Sicilian which was drawn at the time control.

Game Four – Geller then took an early draw as White in Game four, which was a main-line theory Open Spanish. Geller was probably both shocked and unprepared for this opening. Larsen very rarely played the Open defence with either colour, and would not play this variation again until Ljubojevic vs Larsen, 1981 . Geller did not have this variation in his regular repertoire either, had only played the position once before with any colour, achieving a draw as Black against Alexey Suetin in the 25th Soviet Championship - Suetin vs Geller, 1958 .

Game Five – The rest seemed to help Larsen more. He won the fifth game by once again using a non-theoretical system, a Reti with a K-side fianchetto, which he had never employed before. At move 41, Geller offered a draw, which Larsen declined (8). Larsen proceeded to outplay Geller in a R v N with pawns endgame. He eventually forced resignation after he won Geller's knight.

Game Six – Geller again played <9.Qe2> against Larsen's Spanish Open defence, and a hard fought game ended with a draw in a R+P endgame. According to the Danish player Eigil Pedersen,

"Now Larsen was due to have Black again, but in the meantime, I had a brief conversation with Grand Master Larsen about the Open variation of the Spanish game and had referred him to Ekstrom's analysis in "Tidskrift för Schack" 1965. I sent that issue of the magazine to him; he liked the variation and used it in the Sixth game." (8)

Game Seven – This was a second successive draw, this time with Geller equalising quickly as Black in a King's Indian. Larsen, using a system occasionally used by Viktor Korchnoi , traded a B, R and a P for his Q but Geller was never in danger of losing.

Game Eight - This was a long drawn out QGD. Larsen played a rare line of defence, but played it imprecisely. Geller eventually broke through on the Q-side and Larsen resigned, unable to prevent his opponent queening his <b> pawn.

"But in this game, Larsen was a little too satisfied for only a draw, and after a mere 15 moves he stood poorly and then after an unfortunate Queen move he lost several pawns. Admittedly, he continued playing until the game was adjourned, but it was hopeless." (8)

The score was now equal with Geller to have the White pieces in the ninth game. Tied at 4-4, the match now entered a "sudden death phase".

<"Thus, the score was equalized at 4-4, and good advice was in short supply. The players first tried to get the World Chess Federation's concession that both players would move on to the Interzonal tournament by sharing third place, but this suggestion was, of course, rejected.

There was now a playoff so that each successive game was decisive. The players drew lots for colour. Geller drew white for the ninth game, and this could of course could give the Danish player goose-bumps all over his chess body. However, strangely enough Geller had become tired of playing <1.e2-e4> (due to the Swedish analysis of the Spanish?) Instead, he chose the Catalan system, but it suited Larsen perfectly, who during the time when he was studying to become a grand master did not play anything else!

It was an exciting game, where Geller felt obligated to play for the win, while Larsen played solidly, but when Larsen finally got the chance of counter-play, he hit hard. At the time-control, the game was as good as settled as a Danish victory at 5-4. Geller played on for a few more moves in a hopeless position and could thereafter be the first to congratulate Bent Larsen as the winner of the third place in the Candidates with the right to progress directly into the next inter-zonal tournament."> (8)

Game nine - This was the first "sudden death" game, albeit at the same time control. It was a Closed Catalan, and a game of manoeuvre. For once Geller was playing a system he had used previously, but he did not achieve any advantage. The game was actually decided by one blunder. Geller made a simple mistake in time pressure at the time control (he had about half-a-minute left on his clock). His second, Flohr, was heard to exclaim "It's all over!" immediately seeing the forced continuation which would win Larsen a pawn and then then game in short-order. (9)

Larsen had won by 5-4. This was the first time a Soviet grandmaster had lost a match to a Western player.

World championship progress:

In the following 1966 to 1969 Candidate Cycle, both players in this match were decisively beaten by Spassky on his way to the world championship:

Spassky - Geller Candidates Quarterfinal (1968) Spassky - Larsen Candidates Semifinal (1968)

Match book:

Salo Flohr, "Petrosjan bleibt Weltmeister!: die Zweikämpfe Larsen-Geller und Petrosjan-Spassky." (Petrosian remains world champion!). Publisher: W.Ten Have, Amsterdam 1967.

Notes:
(1). "The Canberra Times", Wednesday 29 June 1966 – p.21.

(2). K.S.U. – Nyt Nr 2 (83) February 1966 (Copenhagen Chess Union News sheet) - http://www.kobenhavnsskakunion.dk/k...

(3). http://www.chessmetrics.com/cm/CM2/...

(4). C.H.O'D. Alexander interview with Larsen on pages 86-94 of "A Book of Chess", London, 1973.

(5). "Chess Results", 1964-1967: A Comprehensive Record with 1,204 Tournament p.322, McFarland, 30 May 2013.

(6). "Visir", (Iceland) – 10th September 1966, p. 206.

(7). "De Telegraaf", (Holland) - 28th May 1966, p.35.

(8). "Tidskrift för Schack" - April – May 1966, match report of Eigil Pedersen, p.102-103.

(9). "Tidskrift för Schack" April – May 1966, p.112.